After trading the 28th overall pick yesterday to the New York Islanders for the 35th and 57th picks today in the second round, the Lightning added two more defenseman to their farm by selecting D Dominik Masin and D Johanthan MacLeod with the 35th and 57th overall picks, respectively.
Tampa Bay headed into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft with no 2nd round picks, having traded their 50th overall pick as part of the Jason Garrison deal.
Dominik Masin
Masin projects as a solid defensive defenseman, and finished the season ranked 10th among European skaters. His point totals aren’t overly exciting:
But he’s captained the Czech Republic team. Most publications praise his dependability and consistency while acknowledging he lacks the type of high-end skill you want in a true top-4 NHL defenseman.
Bolt Prospects compares him to Travis Hamonic:
Mobile skater with a nice, projectable frame that will fill out even more. Already strong and well schooled positionally. Manages his gap control well and closes out his marks physically. Shows some ability to handle the puck and jump into the play and is fairly unflappable under duress.
The pick makes sense after going high-risk in the first round with Anthony DeAngelo, who is an offense-first (only?) defenseman with some off-ice issues that didn’t concern Steve Yzerman or Al Murray much but are still at least a little worrisome.
As for his future in the organization:
Masin was rumored to want to come to North America soon. CHL Import Draft an option. Could also play in SYR if TB wants.
— Bolt Prospects (@BoltProspects) June 28, 2014
(Again, if you’re not following along with the Bolt Prospects staff right now, shame on you.)
All in all, if DeAngelo was a risky pick because of intangibles, Masin is a safe one for the very same reason.
Johnathan MacLeod
What about the offense?
It does seem a little odd to see Yzerman and Murray select three consecutive defenseman, especially after so much posturing about always picking the best player on their board. But who knows — perhaps MacLeod really was the best player on their board at 57.
He projects as another bottom pair, defensive defenseman, not unlike Masin:
Elite Prospects also provided this scouting report:
MacLeod is not the most skilled nor is he the fastest guy on the ice but he is extremely physical and plays an effective game by making smart simple plays. He does not panic with the puck and makes good decisions. He utilizes his size effectively to stifle the opposition and makes good heady passes up to his forwards.
So, another non-offensive prospect to balance out the blue line depth organizationally.
Bolt Prospects praised his skillset while also acknowledging he is very, very raw and will need a lot of development before he even scratches the pro ranks, let alone the NHL.
He’s committed to Boston University and might need a full four years in the NCAA before we know exactly how good a prospect he truly is. From SBN College Hockey:
…a big, strong, tough, mean stay-at-home defenseman who opposing forwards will fear for years to come.
MacLeod, a Dracut, Mass. native, is a smart player with a high hockey IQ. He has a wealth of experience, including various international competitions at the junior level and will learn from one of the best in the business in Boston University head coach David Quinn.
